


strike

by sevenbraincells



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baseball, Alternate Universe - Everyone Is Gay, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Sports, Betting, Everyone Is Alive, F/F, F/M, High School, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Sorry I'm REALLY Busy, Kissing, M/M, One Shot, Short, Short One Shot, Work Up For Adoption, characters and ships aren't in order, i know nothing about sports bear with me, i think, if anyone wants to continue it, screw me gently with a chainsaw, sike that's just canon, thank you wisegirl83, this fic exists because i read touchdown by wisegirl83 and went absolutely nuts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27153904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevenbraincells/pseuds/sevenbraincells
Summary: carrie wilson's the cheer captain.nick danforth-evans is the baseball team's star pitcher.willie's the third baseman who's just always there.and luke was there on a dare.so the star four make a bet: to see who could make a certain someone fall for them first.it couldn't be that hard...right?
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Kayla/Carrie Wilson, Nick/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 122





	strike

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Touchdown](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27122044) by [Wisegirl38](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wisegirl38/pseuds/Wisegirl38). 



Everyone gossiped, whether or not they were going to admit it. Sure, everyone said the cheerleaders were the kings, queens and overall monarchs of it, but the Los Feliz High baseball team was definitely a good contender. 

There was an after school baseball practice going on in the field while the cheerleaders were learning their routine. 

“Take five,” the coach shouted, literally dying to get away from the sweaty teenage boys he was supposed to be in charge of. 

Nick ran off to the side, where Willie and Luke were just sitting on the bleachers. “You guys know you’re gonna get kicked from the team if you don’t participate during practice, right?”

Willie just shrugged. “I don’t really care man, that’s the thing.”

“Yeah, cause someone’s got a crush,” Luke teased, playfully hitting Willie.

“I do not,” Willie denied, but the glance he shot towards blondie, for the fifth time that hour, a cheerleader who was practicing across the field proved that statement to be a lie. 

“Yeah you do,” Nick and Luke said, virtually at the same time. 

“Just ask him out already bro,” Luke said, “I’ll help you if you want.”

“No?”

“I’ll ask him out  _ if _ -”

“I’m listening.”

“If you get someone to fall for you by the end of the week.”

Nick scoffed, but it was playful. “As if Luke could  _ actually  _ get anyone. Just having almost sexual tension doesn’t count.”

“Nick’s got a point,” Willie agreed.

“I could get someone! I could get, like, anyone.” 

“No way man,”

Willie nodded in agreement. “I’ve seen you flirt. You’re a mess.” 

“You’ve flirted  _ with _ me. It’s a mess.”

But before Luke could retort, little miss perfect, the captain of the cheer team, head of student council and an-all around sight to behold walked by the three of them. 

“Hey boys,” she greeted, raising her eyebrow to let them know that she heard at least some of their conversation. “What’s going on over here?” 

“Carrie, you know Luke, right?” 

“We’ve encountered each other, yes.” Carrie said, at the same time Luke nodded. 

“Does he have any game?” 

Carrie couldn’t help but laughing. “Not one bit!”

“Come on, that’s not fair,” Luke said, reaching for Carrie. “Sure, it wasn’t,” he trailed off, “but I’m not terrible.”

“You’d be better if you could tell when someone was interested in you!”

“Like anyone could tell that you were in love with your best friend!” Luke interjected, grasping at the strands of his dignity. 

“I could.” Willie looked up.

“Me too,” Nick said, awkwardly raising his hand. 

“You don’t count, her best friend is your cousin.” Luke turned to Nick. 

Nick just rolled his eyes, but it was all in good fun.

“Is there a point to this or-” Carrie asked. 

“I have an idea,” Willie said, jumping off of the bleachers. 

“Hey man, you don’t wanna get up too quickly. You know what happens when you do that after sitting for too long.” Nick teased.

“Shut it. So Luke has no game, right? And I have a crush on-” Willie swallowed. “-someone. I told him that I’ll ask out my crush if he gets someone to fall for him by the end of the week.”

“Sounds fun, I’m in.”

“What?” The three guys asked in perfect harmony. 

“If Luke gets someone to fall for him by the end of the week, I’ll ask out my crush. That way the stakes are higher. Besides, it’ll be fun to watch him fail.”

“And if he doesn’t? You just volunteered yourself to ask out Kayla.”

“And?”

“Good point.”

“But that’s not all,” Carrie continued.

“It isn’t? Nick asked.

“We’re picking someone for Luke, obviously.”

“Guys, come on, can we just-” Luke protested.

“Her.” Carrie said, and their four pairs of eyes all landed on Julie Molina. 

“Are you sure?” Nick asked. “I mean, you guys-”

“Trust me,” Carrie said with a smile.

“I’m not sure if I do,” Luke muttered.

Now it was Willie’s turn to playfully hit Luke. 

“Oh and Nick?” Willie said, as Nick started walking back towards the field.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll only ask him out if you get that guy to fall for you,”

“Which-” Nick started, but he saw exactly who Willie meant. “Reggie?” 

“Reggie.”

“But he’s straight.” Nick protested.

“Try again,”

“Why?”

“A bet’s a bet,”

Nick groaned. 

“Oh, and if this doesn’t work, you give me and Willie twenty bucks.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too, Nick.” Carrie said, walking back to the field where she had to practice her dance with a certain someone’s crush. And her own. 

***

Nick knew Reggie. Luke didn’t know Julie. 

But they did know that they were friends. 

An unlikely pair, the two, but ever since Reggie’s parents had (finally) gotten divorced, he basically moved into the Molina household with Julie, her dad Ray and her little brother, Carlos. 

Nick knew that Reggie grew up on the beach but hated surfing. 

Nick knew that Reggie had a closet full of clothes at Julie’s, but he still wore the same flannel, ripped black skinny jeans, a white top and leather jacket every day. He also had an iced coffee addiction, but that was new.

Nick knew that Reggie flirted with every girl in sight. 

He probably tried flirting with Carrie, Nick realized with a half-smile. 

That would’ve been fun to watch. 

Reggie had just walked out onto the field, catching the eye of more than a couple cheerleaders - and baseball players - including Nick. 

“Dude.” Nick heard Luke say, but he didn’t really hear it. 

He just walked up to Julie Molina, who was there to morally support her best friend, and swung his arm around her. 

She laughed and hit his shoulder. 

Nick turned to look at Luke, a joke on the tip of his tongue, when he noticed the way that he was looking at her. 

Oh. 

He actually  _ liked  _ her. 

Well, of all things that week was going to be, boring definitely wasn’t one of them. 

***

Reggie didn’t know exactly how he and Julie because best friends, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. 

Especially since her dad had let him move in, following the divorce. 

He did remember becoming friends with Alex, though. 

He and Alex had been friends since they were children. Their parents were friends and that’s just the way it was. They just used to be a trio, but people moved away and changed and joined the school baseball team. 

So all that was left were memories of what once was. 

Right around the time that Reggie’s parents were splitting up, Alex told his parents that he was gay. He didn’t think that it’d be such a big deal, because it  _ wasn’t  _ such a big deal, to him, at least. 

But it was. 

Because god forbid their rich, white, upstanding Catholic family have a gay son. He ran away. To Reggie and Julie, because he had nowhere else to run to, nowhere else to go. 

He just knew that he was tired of worshipping at a shrine of lies. 

And so he ran away, he changed schools - and started going to a  _ public  _ school - and joined the cheer team, and he started falling for a guy on the baseball team. 

He’d been to every single game, and yet he still didn’t know what position the guy played. Or his name. 

Cheer practice was about to end, so Flynn and Julie - the only duo that was better than Alex and Reggie’s own - were going out for ice cream. 

Leaving Reggie and Alex to hang out. Better known as teasing each other. 

But there wasn’t much time for that, not when there were two people coming their way. 

Alex could’ve sworn he saw the baseball dude - who also skated - looking over at them, but he didn’t make a move to come over.

Instead it was the pitcher and...the third of the trio.

“Luke,” Alex and Reggie found themselves whispering.

“Alex. Reggie,” Luke said, “so nice to see you guys,” and he went in for a fist bump and hug. 

“Hey,”

“What’s up?” 

“I’m uh-going to talk to her.”

“Julie?” Reggie asked, seemingly in surprise. 

“Yeah. We’re uh-”

“Partners for an assignment.” Alex finished for him, “Don’t let her do all the work. Just because she says it’s fine doesn’t mean it is.” 

“He learned that the hard way.” Reggie added. 

Luke just smiled, and Alex knew that there was a time when Luke smiling like that would’ve made him feel something. 

But that time was a long time ago. 

Alex didn’t have time to dwell though - he never did - because a guy in a fedora was making his way over to them. 

Luke walked off, trying to join in with Julie and Flynn, but they weren’t reacting the way he thought they would. 

It would’ve been a good time to remember that they were barely friends and maybe hitting on her right away wouldn’t have been the best thing to do.

Alex took off, seeing the way the guy in the fedora was looking at Reggie, making up some excuse about needing to talk to his visual arts or English teacher or something like that.

Nick matched Reggie’s, albeit fast, walking pace and smiled.

“Hey cutie,” Nick started, seeing Reggie’s face turn red as early as the second word. “What’s a pretty boy like you doing watching cheer practice?”

“W-well-I-Julie.” Reggie blurted, barely able to form thoughts that weren’t  _ he thinks im pretty he thinks im pretty he thinks im pretty he thinks im- _

It showed too, when his face turned redder than a tomato, like he was Amity Blight or something. But it wasn’t just his face: it was his neck and ears too. 

Nick chuckled, thinking of ways to deepen the shade. 

“Well Julie’s pretty boy, I’ll see you later.” 

“I’m not-” Reggie protested, but Nick draping his letterman jacket over his shoulders was more than a little distracting. 

“Is this okay?” Nick asked, his tone much softer.

“This? Oh, yeah it’s uh-”

“Cool,” Nick said, saluting Reggie with a tongue click as he walked away, leaving the taller of the two a blushing mess, wondering what was making him so hot. He dismissed it as the four layers of shirts and jackets he was wearing in the hot sun. 

Luke wasn’t faring the best with Julie though. 

They’d bumped into each other in the hall the next morning, and Julie dropped her books. Obviously, Luke helped her pick them up with a smile and wink. 

Julie just rolled her eyes. “Really?”

“What?” Luke said. 

“You think I’m going to,” she made a gesture with her hands that he didn’t quite understand, “whatever, for you, just because you have strong arms, a beautiful smile, perfect hair, are an amazing friend and baseball player and can play guitar? No way.”

Luke bit back a smile.

“What are you laughing it?”

“I’m not.”

“Uh huh.”

“Look, I’m sorry for yesterday.”

“Right,” Julie said, taking her books from him. 

“No, I am. I’m sorry. I know that it’s been a while and I was really pushy, but please, if you say no, I’ll leave you alone. I just want to try being friends again. If that’s okay with you.”

“You want to be friends?”

“Again, yes,”

“Fine.” Julie agreed. 

Luke smiled, and Julie couldn’t help but smile back. 

“On one condition,”

“Anything,” Luke answered, probably much too quickly.

“You have to carry my books.”

“Hand ‘em over.” Luke said, and he did. 

He did a little double take at the weight of them, but it elicited a smile out of Julie and that was enough to make it worth it. 

He knew that Julie Molina was too good for him, so all he could do was try to get up to her level. And maybe they’d make each other better. 

_ *** _

So Carrie and Willie weren’t exactly  _ stalking  _ Nick and Luke, but they were keeping a bit more than a watchful eye out for them. 

“So looks like someone’s asking out their crush.”

“We’re both  _ someone _ .” Carrie retorted. 

“Yeah, but yours has a chance of saying yes.”

“Says you. Dude, Alex is head over heels for you.”

“ _ Kayla _ ’s head over heels for you.”

“She is  **not** !”

“Nick’s my best friend and Kayla spends almost as much time over at his house as he does at yours. Trust me, she is.”

“Alex is one of my best friend in cheer, and trust me, he likes you.”

Willie just let out a breath. 

“Just admit that there’s a chance you’re finally going to get a boyfriend.”

“As soon as you admit you’re going to finally get a girlfriend.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too,” Willie said, holding her hand in his with a smile. 

And for once, she didn’t pull her hand away. In solidarity. 

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this instead of going to bed to get a good night's rest before my math test :)  
> yell at me to study so when i wake up in the morning i have motivation !!!
> 
> also feel free to follow me on ig/tumblr @alleyesoncarrie.  
> i'll have another chapter of 'can i make it any more obvious' out tomorrow or saturday :)))  
> stay tuned lovelies.


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